
Courtney Castelino
When she was thirteen, a school excursion to see a touring production of The Phantom of the Opera opened her eyes to the world of musical theatre. As soon as the chandelier lit up and rose to the ceiling, she was completely spellbound. That moment sparked a lifelong appreciation for the arts, further enhanced through fine arts and drama training in high school and CEGEP. Courtney also co-teaches a bilingual Teen Theatre Appreciation and Criticism class at the Ottawa School of Theatre. Originally from Montreal, she now lives in the Ottawa, Canada, area and enjoys attending local professional and community theatre shows, and tries to get to New York and Toronto to see shows whenever she can.
Learn More About Courtney Castelino
First Show
The Phantom of the OperaFavorite Show
HamiltonFavorite Stories
- Review: HAMILTON at Ottawa's National Arts Centre - When Hamilton first came onto the scene, I wasn't very excited, as I have never been a fan of rap music and, being Canadian, I figured that the storyline would hold little interest for me. When I listened to the original cast recording, I quickly realized that Hamilton was more than just American history set to rap music. The music is a complex fusion of many different genres and the story holds much deeper meaning. After seeing Hamilton on stage, it overtook Phantom as my all-time favourite show (although Phantom still holds a dear place in my heart as my first musical).
- BWW Review: Orpheus' Production of MATILDA THE MUSICAL at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe -
- Review: PRISON DANCER THE MUSICAL at Ottawa's National Arts Centre -
- Review: Orpheus Musical Theatre's NEWSIES at Meridian Theatres at Centrepoint -
- Review: COME FROM AWAY at Ottawa's National Arts Centre -
Most Popular Articles


Previews: CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! at Ottawa Bluesfest
July 7, 2026

Review: SEARCHING FOR LOVE at Studio de l'Espace St-Denis
July 7, 2026

Review: Broadway Across Canada's Presentation of CLUE LIVE ON STAGE! at the National Arts Centre
January 7, 2026

Review: Broadway Across Canada's HAMILTON at the National Arts Centre
August 8, 2025

Review: The World Premiere of CICADAS at the National Arts Centre
April 12, 2026

Review: APPEARING THIS EVENING at Ottawa Little Theatre
July 18, 2026
What did our critic think of APPEARING THIS EVENING at Ottawa Little Theatre?

Previews: CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! at Ottawa Bluesfest
July 7, 2026
Have you ever been to a Choir! Choir! Choir! show? I went to see them at the 47th Edition of the Montreal Jazz Festival to give you an idea of what to expect when they perform at Ottawa Bluesfest later this month.

Review: SEARCHING FOR LOVE at Studio de l'Espace St-Denis
July 7, 2026
Jerry Tremblay wants you - and anyone who will listen - to know that he is Searching for Love.

Interview: Aliya Kanani Returns to the Ottawa Fringe with A COMEDIAN'S GUIDE TO ENLIGHTENMENT
June 24, 2026
Kanani took some time to share information about her new show, provide recommendations for other Fringe shows, and let us in on her City of Ottawa must-dos.

Review: Seeing Cirque du Soleil's ECHO is Like Discovering Another World Only Two Hours from Ottawa
June 22, 2026
What did our critic think of Cirque du Soleil's ECHO?

Review: PRESSURE at Ottawa Little Theatre
June 13, 2026
What did our critic think of PRESSURE at Ottawa Little Theatre?

Interview: Ian Gillies, Guy Newsham, and Christian Giansante on PRESSURE at OLT
June 8, 2026
Pressure will be on stage at Ottawa Little Theatre from June 10 through 27th.

Review: Orpheus Musical Theatre's Presentation of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
June 4, 2026
What did our critic think of ORPHEUS MUSICAL THEATRE'S PRODUCTION OF SINGIN' IN THE RAIN at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe?

Review: THE PERFECT TIME at Almonte Old Town Hall
May 25, 2026
What did our critic think of THE PERFECT TIME at Almonte Old Town Hall?

Review: FUN HOME at The Gladstone Theatre
May 23, 2026
What did our critic think of FUN HOME at The Gladstone Theatre?

Review: THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD at Kanata Theatre
May 21, 2026
What did our critic think of THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD at Kanata Theatre?

Review: MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at National Arts Centre
May 15, 2026
What did our critic think of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at National Arts Centre?

Review: THE BIRDS AND THE BEES at Ottawa Little Theatre
May 10, 2026
What did our critic think of THE BIRDS AND THE BEES at Ottawa Little Theatre?

Review: WENWEN DU AND IAN BOSTRIDGE IN RECITAL at the Carlton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
May 11, 2026
What did our critic think of WENWEN DU AND IAN BOSTRIDGE IN RECITAL at Carlton Dominion-Chalmers Centre?

Review: THE INVISIBLE at National Arts Centre
May 3, 2026
What did our critic think of THE INVISIBLE at National Arts Centre?

Interview: WENWEN DU and IAN BOSTRIDGE in Ottawa
April 30, 2026
The duo chat about their upcoming Ottawa recital at the Carlton Dominion-Chalmers Centre on May 6th.

Review: National Ballet of Canada's PROCESSION at the National Arts Centre
April 25, 2026
What did our critic think of PROCESSION at National Arts Centre?

Review: Lightwire Theater's DINO-LIGHT at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe
April 12, 2026
What did our critic think of DINO-LIGHT at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe?

Review: The World Premiere of CICADAS at the National Arts Centre
April 12, 2026
What did our critic think of CICADAS at National Arts Centre?
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